Lives in the Yiddish
TheatreSHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN
THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"1931-1969

Shimen Posias

Born in 1893 in Ostilia (Ustilig),
Vilna Gubernia, Poland, into an orthodox family. In 1900
he settled with his family in Kiev, and here he learned
in a cheder. In 1907 he immigrated with his family to
Eretz Yisrael and settled in the colony Petakh Tikvah,
where P. learned further in a cheder. Being in the Old
City, he became a choir boy for a cantor; here he
tried to stage with the choir boys his "play" about a
Jewish hero Motele Pozharnik during the Odessa pogrom
[1905-6].

In 1909 his family returned
to Russia, settling in Odessa, and P. was sent away to a
goldsmith. He participated later as a chorister and
stand-in for Fishzon. P. organized a group of amateurs
who earlier acted in one-acters in private houses, then
entire plays in theatrical buildings.

Due to the first World War,
he withdrew from his activities, vert der krayz nokh
the February Revolution, returning oyfgelebt.

Through Betty Kenig he
entered into the professional theatre that had [under
the leadership of Khlivner] performed one-acters. In the
summer of 1918 P. entered into the troupe "Mogilov
podolsk" (with Meyerson, Epstein), then in Odessa's
miniature theatre under the leadership of David
Keyzerovitsh. In 1919 he acted in the first Yiddish
state theatre in Odessa. 1920-21 -- he toured with a
collective, itinerant troupe across Volin and Podol.
1922-23 -- he returned to Odessa, earlier in the
miniature theatre "Kometa",

then in the Bolgarov
Theatre. 1924-5 -- in Kherson with the troupes of
Fridman, Vargatsh, Lampe. 1926 -- again in the Odessa
Bolgarov Theatre. 1927-28 -- in "Kolektiv poltavtshina",
and in the summer of 1928 -- in a collective with
guest-starring Julius Adler. 1929 -- in a theatre of
small forms with the assistance of Kharkover "Gezkult"
and then in other troupes.